2023 was the year Sheffield started to deliver on its promises, with developments taking shape across the city centre.
From Fargate to Orchard Square to Cambridge Street and beyond, long heralded projects made the leap from the drawing board into the real world.
There was good news too at West Bar, Eyewitness Works and at several huge blocks of flats representing tens of millions of pounds worth of investment.
And a flurry of announcements paved the way for more good things to come including developers for the Cole Brothers store, Cannon Brewery in Neepsend and former Ski Village in Neepsend.
Even controversial projects have benefits, depending on your viewpoint, such as the introduction of the Clean Air Zone in late February, amid protests from business. It raised £3m for council coffers in its first eight months and comes with the promise of a less polluted city centre.
The same is true for the new bus gate on Arundel Gate which has raised an estimated £2m since its introduction in March.
1. Orchard Square
Orchard Square had a multi-million pound taxpayer-funded revamp which included two huge umbrellas, new paving and awnings above shops, leaving it looking very smart. Occupancy remains high too.
2. West Bar Square
This £300m development is set to create a new city centre in Sheffield. It will have shops, sunlit squares and several blocks of flats and offices, many with roof terraces. The scheme has been reaching for the sky on a plot off Corporation Street all this year.
3. Fargate
Fargate is having a multi-million pound revamp with money from the Government's Future High Street Fund. Tram tracks and imported Italian cobbles laid in the 1990s are being ripped up and replaced with paving. Drawings also show huge flowerbeds and outdoor seating, signalling the street’s shift from retail to food, drink, leisure and culture.
4. Cambridge Street Collective
Sheffield’s largest food hall, featuring 16 kitchens, is set to open in April 2024. It is in former Henry’s wine bar and a new 'rusty' building to the rear which has been taking shape throughout 2023.